Related Articles

Vacationers from around the world visit Hawaii for its impressive beaches, volcanoes and lush natural vegetation. If you want to make your Hawaii vacation more rewarding, national conservation organizations and local groups offer many volunteer opportunities. You can support worthy projects while enjoying the beauty of Hawaii, and maybe reduce your expenses for accommodations and meals.

Sierra Club

The Sierra Club has a long history of protecting natural resources. When you take a volunteer vacation, you can choose to maintain hiking trails in Kokee State Park on Kauai or Haleakala National Park on the island of Maui. The Kokee program fee for 2010 is $995 for eight days. The Haleakala program will run in the fall of 2011 in two locations. Fees are $1,975 for 10 days.

You will also have opportunities during both trips to meet local people, explore the area and learn about Hawaii's environmental issues. The program fees cover accommodation and meals. Volunteers must pay for their own travel to Hawaii.

Habitat for Humanity

Your vacation in Hawaii can help a family become homeowners when you volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity project. The Kauai Habitat affiliate has built 550 houses as of 2010, with the assistance of local and visiting volunteers, according to their website. It intends to build 100 homes in its new Eleele subdivision. Habitat needs volunteers to install insulation and flooring, complete finish work, hang doors, assist in the warehouse or manage the ReStore and sales on eBay. Sign up for volunteer opportunities through the Habitat for Humanity Global Village program, which has organized two Kauai trips in 2010. Volunteers pay for airfare and program fees of approximately $1,100 for a ten-day vacation, with meals and lodging included.

National Park Service

In Hawaii, the National Park Service manages two national parks, three national historic parks, a national historic trail, one national historic site and the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. Volunteers who want to work during a visit to Hawaii can participate in the Volunteers-In-Parks (VIPs) program. Tasks range from staffing an information booth or maintaining trails to building fences and or conducting park tours. You can download the application and VIPs program brochure at the NPS website. Volunteer.gov has details of current and future volunteer opportunities. Each volunteer completes a skills inventory, available dates and interests, and forwards the completed application to the park of choice. Some 2010 volunteer opportunities include the Hawksbill Turtle Monitoring Program at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for eight to 12 weeks, the three-month HAVO Vegetation Inventory at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Hale-Trail Safety Patrol, with a two-month commitment in Haleakala National Park. The National Park Service does not charge participation fees, but volunteers pay for transportation to the park. Some volunteer opportunities include housing, a per diem for meals and use of a vehicle.

Resources

About the Author

Carol Luther has more than 25 years of business and technical writing experience and 10 years of experience in international health project management, which includes child survival, youth AIDS and health systems information technology. Luther's work has appeared in "Diamond" magazine and online at Global Progress, Mahalo, Trazzler and Wcities. She has a master's degree in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.

Have Feedback?

Thank you for providing feedback to our Editorial staff on this article. Please fill in the following information so we can alert the Travel Tips editorial team about a factual or typographical error in this story. All Fields are required.